South Korea seeks missing citizens in Nepal floods using helicopters, roads and drones

South Korea is expanding the search for nine citizens who lost contact during flooding in Nepal, using helicopters, a ground team and drones as authorities face difficult terrain, bad weather and restrictions on air operations.

The government’s rapid-response team planned helicopter searches around the Weir Dam and Dhunche areas. It conducted two flights on August 29, but Nepalese authorities barred helicopter operations the following day because of safety concerns and air traffic congestion. If permission remains difficult to secure, representatives of Doosan Enerbility may join the flight when necessary.

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The rapid-response team will use every available means to pursue search and rescue operations.

A nine-member ground-search team from South Korea’s National Fire Agency planned to move toward Ramche, roughly 1 to 2 kilometers from the accident site, and stay there overnight. The team had previously traveled to Batar to assess possible routes, but planned to remain near the site rather than return to Kathmandu.

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Wide-area searches by helicopter, precision searches by drone, exploration of ground routes to expand the search base, and requests for and verification of search activities through the police will be pursued.

The team also intended to use drones after reaching Ramche, subject to conditions and prior approval from Nepalese authorities. Drone operations are limited to the hours between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.

South Korean officials are seeking help from Nepal’s military, which leads the missing-person search, as well as local police. They are interviewing Nepalese survivors to establish the likely evacuation routes of the missing South Koreans. “The rapid-response team will use every available means to pursue search and rescue operations,” a Foreign Ministry official said. South Korea’s newly arrived ambassador, Park Jae-kyung, is expected to make support for the search his top priority.

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Nepal’s government is conducting search and rescue operations across the extensive affected area using its limited helicopters and other assets, following its decision not to accept rescue support from the international community.